Browsing by Subject "Buses"

Now showing 1 - 5 of 5
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    Field Testing and Evaluation of a Wireless-Based Transit Signal Priority System
    (Intelligent Transportation Systems Institute, Center for Transportation Studies, 2011-10) Liao, Chen-Fu; Davis, Gary A.
    Most signal priority strategies implemented in various U.S. cities used sensors to detect buses at a fixed or preset distance away from an intersection. Traditional presence detection systems, ideally designed for emergency vehicles, usually send a signal priority request after a pre-programmed time offset as soon as transit vehicles are detected without the consideration of bus readiness. As part of the Urban Partnership Agreement, Metro Transit, Minnesota Department of Transportation (MnDOT), and the City of Minneapolis have implemented Transit Signal Priority (TSP) along Central Avenue from north Minneapolis (2nd Street SE) to south of I-694 (53rd Avenue NE) with total of 27 intersections. Transit performance before and after the deployment of a TSP strategy was examined through the data analysis process to evaluate the effectiveness and benefit of a TSP strategy. The objective of this study is to deploy and validate a wireless-based TSP strategy developed from earlier studies by considering bus schedule adherence, location and speed. A TSP onboard system using embedded computer was developed to interface with EMTRAC radio modules to bypass the EMTRAC TSP algorithm on current buses. Field experiments were performed by installing University of Minnesota (UMN) TSP units on four RTE10 buses for two weeks. The EMTRAC algorithm was temporary disabled on the test vehicles. Link travel time and node dwell time on the TSP-equipped route segments are compared. The results indicated the UMN TSP algorithm gain additional 3-6% of travel time reduction as compared to other RTE10 buses operating during the two-week test period.
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    Get on the (curbside) bus: The new intercity bus
    (Journal of Transport and Land Use, 2015) Klein, Nicholas J.
    Curbside buses are intercity buses that pick up and drop off on city streets and corners instead of bus terminals. These new buses have only been operating for 15 years but have quickly revitalized and transformed the intercity bus industry, leading to the first increases in ridership in 50 years. Using a passenger intercept survey of both curbside and established carriers, such as Greyhound, I address two basic questions about this new mode: Who uses curbside buses? And what is the effect of curbside buses on competing modes? The findings indicate that curbside buses appear to be attracting different passengers than established carriers. After using curbside buses, passengers are less likely to use Amtrak for intercity trips, but the buses have no effect on their likelihood to drive.
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    Planning a high-frequency transfer-based bus network: How do we get there?
    (Journal of Transport and Land Use, 2021) Grisé, Emily; Stewart, Anson F.; El-Geneidy, Ahmed
    As cities have grown more dispersed and auto-oriented, demand for travel has become increasingly difficult to meet via public transit. Public transit ridership, particularly bus ridership, has recently been on the decline in many urban areas in Canada and the United States, and many agencies have either undergone or are planning comprehensive bus network redesigns in response. While comprehensive bus network redesigns are not novel to public transit, network redesigns are commonly being considered in cities to optimize operational costs and reverse downward trends in transit ridership. For cities considering a comprehensive bus network redesign, there is currently no comprehensive easy-to-follow planning process available to guide cities through such a major undertaking. In light of that, this study presents a methodology to guide transport professionals through the planning process of a bus network redesign, using Longueuil, Quebec, as a case study. Currently, Longueuil operates a door-to-door network, and the goal is to move to a transfer-based, high-frequency service while keeping the existing number of buses constant. A variety of data sources that capture regional travel behavior and network performance are overlaid using a GIS-based grid-cell model to identify priority bus corridors. A series of analyses to measure and quantify anticipated and actual improvements from the proposed bus network redesign are conducted, including coverage analysis, change in accessibility to jobs, and travel time analysis. Accessibility to jobs was the key performance measure used in this analysis and is presented as a useful tool for planners and transit agencies to obtain buy-in for the proposed plan. This methodology provides transport professionals with a flexible and reproducible guide to consider when conducting a bus network redesign, while ensuring that such a network overhaul maximizes the number of opportunities that residents can access by transit and does not add an additional burden to an agency’s operating budget.
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    Superbus Phase I: Accessory Loads Onboard a Parallel Hybrid- Electric City Bus
    (Center for Transportation Studies, University of Minnesota, 2009-08) Campbell, Jeffrey; Kittelson, David
    This paper describes the results from the first phase of the Superbus Project, which explores the input power trends and dependencies of the major accessories on a parallel hybrid urban transit bus. More specifically, this paper examines the elimination of both “accessory overdrive”, where more power is delivered to an accessory than is required by the function, and “parasitic loading”, where the accessory consumes power with no useful output. The bus was equipped with an array of sensors and a programmable data acquisition system (DAQ), and was driven on routes in Minneapolis during August and September, 2008. The accessories analyzed were the hydraulic pumps, the air compressor, the alternator, and the air conditioning system. Collection and processing methods are described, and the influence of accessory overdrive and parasitic loading are demonstrated. The average input power to the accessories was 11.0 kW when the air conditioning was off and 19.3 kW when the air conditioning was on. By removing the effects of accessory overdrive and parasitic loading, it is estimated that replacing mechanically driven accessories with their electrically driven counterparts would reduce the accessory power demand by 34% (no air conditioning) and 31% (with air conditioning). Under the somewhat conservative assumption that with the air conditioning on, 50% of the bus’ fuel is consumed by its accessories, it is estimated that accessory electrification would result in a 13-15% improvement in overall fuel economy.